Sheet product dispensers typically include rolls of sheet product. The sheet product is dispensed from the roll by passing one end of the sheet product through a pair of rollers. One of the rollers is coupled to an electric motor that is selectively energized by a controller. Friction between the rollers and the sheet product pulls the sheet product from the sheet product roll when the motor is operated.
Waste reduction is an important consideration in the design and use of dispensers. One way to reduce waste is to ensure the full contents of a roll are used. To achieve this goal, some dispensers include a means to support two or more rolls of rolled sheet product. One such known dispenser is able to receive two rolls, the left ends of which are substantially aligned in a plane, and the right ends of the rolls are substantially aligned in another plane. Once the roll in the foremost position is depleted, product from the roll in the secondary position may be taken by users.
To satisfy customer desires, some dispensers provide a means of conveying product from a roll to a user. One dispenser is able to receive two full-sized rolls and ends of the rolls are non-planar. The rolls are substantially coaxial and side-by-side. Since the ends of the rolls are not substantially planar, this dispenser requires a separate drive roller and pinch roller for each roll in order to convey product to a user.
Other bath tissue or toilet paper sheet product dispensers can receive two full-sized rolls, the ends of which are aligned in planes so that the dispenser only requires one drive roller to dispense product from either roll, thereby reducing the number of dispenser components required to convey product to a user. However, while only a single drive roller is required, this dispenser requires two pinch rollers in order to convey product to a user because the substrate is less robust.
Other dispensers, known as “stub roll dispensers,” can receive one full-sized roll and one partially-depleted roll. One known stub roll dispenser aligns the ends of the rolls in planes and conveys product to a user. This dispenser further reduces the number of dispenser components required to convey product to a user, as it utilizes only one drive roller and only one pinch roller. Since the rolls in this dispenser are arranged vertically, it also reduces the amount of horizontal wall space required for installation. However, use of this type of dispenser demonstrates the need for additional waste reduction. For example, stub roll dispensers are configured to accommodate roll lengths that are a small fraction (e.g. 25% or less) of the original roll length. Therefore, if the stub roll is too large to fit into the stub roll position at the time of servicing, the custodian must either place the stub roll outside of the dispenser cabinet, which is undesirable for both aesthetic and safety reasons, discard the roll or must choose to not service the dispenser. In a washroom with one known stub roll dispenser, removing the stub roll from the dispenser and replacing it with a full sized roll is desirable to prevent the dispenser from running empty of sheet product before the next service cycle.
Historically, the need to reduce waste has focused research and design efforts on increasing the capacity of the full-sized roll. This effort has been unsuccessful, at least in part because this method does nothing to reduce waste due to premature discarding of a stub roll.